The New Google App Update Confirms Shift in SEO

Google’s iOS App is now context-aware and has taken a big step towards providing a truly conversational search experience: by giving the user the ability to ask “follow-up” questions after they establish an anchor subject.

For example, if you search for “Nerf Guns” and establish that term as the anchor subject of your search (after Google has provided its initial answers for you), you can then ask it follow-up questions about those answers. Such as: “How fast does it shoot?” “Is it safe for children?” “Will it intimidate my co-workers enough?”

This means you don’t have to reformulate your search to include the product you first mentioned. Google will know you are speaking of the initial subject and base the answers off the term.

Why should marketers care about the new Google App update?

This is the next step in the evolution of how Google provides answers to its users’ questions. I tell many of our customers that Google and other search engines are moving in a “conversational” direction – we need to speak to our users as if they’re people and not machines. We speak to Google through our phones (Siri, Cortana, etc.) every day when we need information. This new shift in providing answers is a reinforcement of that prediction and marketers need to adapt and create meaningful and relevant information to their users.

Also, while it’s not perfect, this is a capability that Siri does not currently offer…

Patrick is the Sr. Director of Digital Strategies at Conductor, Inc. He is a passionate digital marketing professional with over 11 years experience in the SEO space. For over a decade, he has had the opportunity to help clients grow their organic footprint and overall digital experience.